Old Story, New Context

"Finding one's voice isn't just an emptying an purifying oneself of the words of others but an adopting and embracing of filiations, communities, an discourses. Inspiration could be called inhaling the memory of an act never experienced. Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos."

I enjoyed reading Lethem, both his work and his argument. The latter brought forward some interesting questions and suggestions for writers, and creators as a whole, to think about. What makes a retelling any more of an infringement on copyright than a Hollywood remake (for which this decade will surely be known later on in time)? And what, if the original can still be accessed, is the real damage done? Could it be that we don't want to be upstaged by someone who may have taken our idea and--to be harsh--made it better? Do we want recognition or do we just not like other people touching our stuff?

There is one sentence I'd like to zero in on, because I think it's applicable, not only for this class, but for our lives as writers as a whole. "...simply placing objects in an unexpected context reinvigorates their mysterious qualities." I loved loved LOVED this line (and still do do DO).

As writers, let's strive to take our inspiration and do our very best to make it new and interesting. To take the tired and worn out Romeo and Juliet plot line, and make it fresh and seemingly unheard of.

Some last few points:

• I liked how "Cars" encompassed a lot of the trade secrets of the uncanny--seeming timelessness, intellectual uncertainty, dopplegangers
• I agree with Rachel that I have no idea how that man managed to put that entire story together.